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The New Mexico Enviornment Department announced today that longtime Los Alamos resident Allison Majure has been named communications director.

“Ms. Majure’s background in municipal utilities, software marketing, journalism, and nonprofit communications brings both depth and agility to the Department’s communications,” said NMED secretary Ryan Flynn. “Her track record demonstrates her strong commitment to improving environmental awareness through the practice of open and direct communication. Her ability to clearly articulate the Environment Department’s goals, standards and expectations will foster informed decision-making and actions on environmental issues by New Mexicans and other stakeholders.”

Majure served previously in public relations with the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities and as a reporter with the Los Alamos Monitor. She has a bachelor's degree from California-Berkley.

“Wetland Restoration in New Mexico Desert Grasslands” will be the topic of Karla Sator’s talk at 7 p.m. today. No advance registration required. Free. For more information, visit PajaritoEEC.org.

Summer Concerts

Igor and the Red Elvises will play a fundraiser for the Gordon’s Concert Series Saturday at the Posse Lodge. The show will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. No food or drink will be sold at the fundraiser.

Warm Water Weekend

The next Warm Water Weekend is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Larry R. Walkup Center. The event will be from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

LAMS breakfast

A regular weekly meeting of the Future Energy Resources Committee is scheduled for Tuesday. The meeting will be at 11:30 a.m. at the county’s Municipal Building.

Future resources

A regular weekly meeting of the Future Energy Resources Committee is scheduled for Tuesday. The meeting will be at 11:30 a.m. at the county’s Municipal Building.

ESPAÑOLA (AP) — A northern New Mexico sheriff who replaced a sheriff convicted in a road-rage case is the target of a new investigation.
Rio Arriba County officials said an investigation found that Sheriff James Luján recently made inappropriate comments to staff.
The investigation comes after a pair of deputies claimed Luján used inappropriate slurs and discriminated against them for their political association with former Sheriff Thomas Rodella. Rodella was sentenced in January to 10 years in federal prison for abusing a driver in a bizarre, off-duty traffic stop that prosecutors described as a fit of road rage.
The county gave Luján , elected in November, a letter telling him to use better judgment with staff.

Piñon Elementary will host its annual Annual Fun Saturday morning.
The race, which will start at the school, 30 Grand Canyon Drive in White Rock, will begin at 9 a.m.
Snacks and prizes will be offered at finish line to those taking part. Registration forms are available at the school.
Proceeds from the fundraising event will benefit the PTO.

Los Alamos County Engineer Project Manager Bryan Aragon took public input on plans for the upcoming 20th Street improvement project Wednesday. Despite backlash from the business community after the Central Avenue improvement project in 2014, attendance at Wednesday’s meeting was relatively light.
Improvements include the removal and replacement of curb and gutter, 6-foot sidewalks with ramps that meet ADA standards and new drainage structures, asphalt and street lighting. Two new pedestrian crosswalks will be located at either end of the new teen center.
Ruby Alexander, owner of Ruby K’s Bagel Café, was concerned about a second year of potential losses. Business was so slow during Central Avenue construction last year, Alexander said, she had to reduce store hours and cut back on employees’ schedules. She asked for reassurances that the county would keep impacted businesses informed.
“Strong, two-way communication can do the trick,” Alexander said. “I was shocked at the impact last summer.”
Alexander’s husband Mike Alexander reinforced that, asking how information would be disseminated and what assurances business owners had that they would receive ample notice of construction-related issues.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — A draft nuclear accord now being negotiated between the United States and Iran would force Iran to cut hardware it could use to make an atomic bomb by about 40 percent for at least a decade, while offering the Iranians immediate relief from sanctions that have crippled their economy, officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
As an added enticement, elements of a U.N. arms embargo against Iran could be rolled back.
The very existence of a draft provided perhaps the clearest indication the sides were nearing a written agreement as they raced to meet a March 31 deadline for a framework pact. The deadline for a full agreement is the end of June.
Officials said the tentative deal imposes new limits on the number of centrifuges Iran can operate to enrich uranium, a process that can lead to nuclear weapons-grade material. The sides are zeroing in on a cap of 6,000 centrifuges, officials said, down from the 6,500 they spoke of in recent weeks.
That's also less than the 10,000 such machines Tehran now runs, yet substantially more than the 500 to 1,500 that Washington originally wanted as a ceiling. Only a year ago, U.S. officials floated 4,000 as a possible compromise.

The Republican Party of Los Alamos will meet with Los Alamos County Manager Harry Burgess for its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday.
The meeting at UNM-LA, room 610.
The public is welcome to attend the presentation by Burgess, who will speak on “Upcoming Issues in Los Alamos County.” A business meeting will follow the presentation.

The Los Alamos Mountaineers will host a talk by Brett Kettering, who will talk about his visits to the high points of states across the country at 7 p.m. today at Fuller Lodge.

Summer concerts

Igor and the Red Elvises will play a fundraiser for the Gordon’s Concert Series Saturday at the Posse Lodge. The show will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. No food or drink will be sold at the concert. For more information, visit gordonsummerconcerts.com.

Warm Water Weekend

The next Warm Water Weekend is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Larry R. Walkup Center. The event will be from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

LAMS breakfasts

Los Alamos Middle School will serve breakfast for students during PARCC testing. Summit Foods will have items ranging in price from 50 cents to $3.

Sustainability

The Environmental Sustainability Board will meet Thursday at the Municipal Building. Meeting time is 5:30 p.m.

"Mister Roberts"

The play “Mister Roberts” will be performed at Los Alamos Little Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

PEEC closing

The PEEC nature center on Orange Street will close March 31. Public features will move new Los Alamos Nature Center, which will open April 22.